The Biggest Battle in the Life of Ash Ketchum!
by Relaxing Pikachu
Summary: Ash is on his way to Viridian to battle for the Earth Badge, but the closer they get to Viridian, the more apprehensive Misty gets over it. Along the way, the group befriends an injured Growlithe. Team Rocket seems to be interested in both Misty and the injured Growlithe as opposed to Pikachu for a change. Why? Rated T for later chapters, which includes some violence.
1. The Big Argument

Hello everyone. This is Relaxing Pikachu here with another fic, but it's an old one. I decided to put this one back up with some changes along with its sequels. This fic was originally written between late fall 1999 and early spring 2000 (give or take) and dealt with Ash (Satoshi) obtaining his Earth Badge in Viridian. At the time this fic was originally written, the episode hadn't been aired yet in my area, as the show had been pulled by then. I was so frustrated, I made up a story over how he obtained it. Just an alternate version.

For this rewrite, I plan on fixing loads of errors, but I will keep in the old references and slightly slapsticky style, as it would be odd if I don't, right? It's pretty much Gen I style. This fic also includes Kenji (Tracey Sketchit), but he will be referred to as Kenji and since, at the time, I'd never seen an episode with him, I made up my own characterization for him as well as how the group meets him. I also knew him as Kenji way before "Tracey Sketchit" which is a name I do truly loathe and hate.

Ash and Misty can also understand their Pokemon and Misty understands Pikachu. Something else I should also mention, is that Togepi refers to Ash as a "father figure", but it'll be explained why later.

Anyway, as already mentioned, this story is about Ash obtaining the Earth Badge from the Viridian City Gym, but as they grow closer and closer to Viridian, Misty starts having a reaction to it. An ominous, yet horrific dream which causes her apprehension over actually going there and why is Team Rocket more adamant than ever in their pursuits? Read on to find out.

Oh and here are the ages of the characters, and I only use these ages because of previous fics I'd written where I had them older. I like these ages, personally.

Ash: 13  
>Misty: 14<br>Brock: 19

Also, as I say for all of these fics, anything shown in _italics_ indicates that it is a flashback (only for short sequences, anyway). Any dialogue using single quotation marks indicates that the character is thinking, unless used in a grammatically correct fashion. Anything with an asterisk by it means that there is a note about it at the end of the chapter.

Now, as always, I do not own anything dealing with the Pokemon franchise. Nintendo, 4Kids, Gamefreak, etc., have those rights.

**The Biggest Battle in the Life of Ash Ketchum (1999)**

**Part 01: "I'll buy you a bike!" The Big Argument!**

A young girl with red hair stared up at the clear-blue sky, many birds and bird Pokemon soaring above peacefully and the sun shining brightly. Usually, the young girl enjoyed these types of days, but given that she was currently walking through a forest, she couldn't fully appreciate it.

"I'm tired," the girl by the name of Misty complained, "maybe we should rest for a while."

Her older companion with the narrow eyes and brown hair nodded to her, also growing tired with the heavy bag on his back, filled with food and other supplies for his friends and Pokemon. "We should've gotten to Viridian by now."

"This 'shortcut'," Misty began while glaring at the boy wearing the Pokemon League cap, "is taking longer than it should!"

The soon to be Pokemon Master stopped walking and faced his two traveling companions. "It is not!" he declared confidently, but his voice dropped, and his tone grew rather sheepish. "My shortcut is just taking longer than I thought it would."

The two couldn't help but sweatdrop over the boy's statement and just groaned in disbelief. Once again, our heroes seemed to be lost, thanks to Ash's bad sense of direction.

Ash Title: The Big Argument!

"Well," he began after noticing their looks, "at least Pikachu and Togepi have faith in me."

The small electric mouse Pokemon shook his head. "Pika chu! (Nice going, we're lost again!)"

The small egg-like Pokemon being held by Misty asked, "Priiiii? (What's wrong with daddy?)"

"Pika? (Daddy?)"

"Don't worry about Ash, Togepi," Misty cooed, "it's not _his_ fault that he's completely useless when it comes to leading."

"Hey!"

"What's the matter Ashy Boy? Can't handle hearing the truth," she teased with a smirk.  
>x x x x<br>"Ugh, here we go again," the Pokemon Breeder in training sighed.

Pikachu nodded in agreement as they watched future Pokemon Master and Water Pokemon Master continue to arguing. Brock decided to liven things up since he was going to be forced to sit through another argument.

"You know, I think Ash is going to win _this_ fight."

Pikachu shook his head. "Pika chu pika."

"Hey, let's bet on it. How about I bet you…*$20 that Ash is going to win this fight and that he's not going to get hit for it. Misty hasn't been hitting him much lately with that heavy mallet of hers."

Pikachu put out his hand to Brock, shaking it. "Pikachu! (You're on!)"  
>x x x x<br>"Shut up, Misty!"

"Don't you tell _me_ to shut up!

"I can tell anyone that I want to shut up and I'm saying it to you, 'Lil' Miss Scrawny'!"

"_Scraw_ny?! I am _not_ scrawny you dirty-faced troll!" she shot back hotly, her temper rising.

"What's the matter 'Misty Wisty', can't handle the truth?" he teased with a laugh.

Misty, at this point had turned red and pulled out a fan, whacking him with it, causing him to fall over. The girl had, as Brock pointed out, refrained from using her infamous mallet on Ash lately, although with Brock it was a totally different story.

"Aww man!"

Pikachu held out his paw, grinning. "Pika pi chu! (Pay up!)"

Ash picked himself up while rubbing the back of his head, noticing the two. "What's going on Brock?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Misty queried, also quite innocently, as if they hadn't been arguing at all.

"Why are you giving Pikachu money?"

"Pika pi chu pikachu. (See, I told you he was going to lose to Misty.)"

"Pikachu, you would bet against your own trainer like that?"

Pikachu nodded, causing Ash to fall over in disbelief. "Pikachu pika pi pika chu! (Money is money, which means more ketchup for me!)"

"Pikachu _obviously_ has good sense," Misty playfully taunted, "unlike his trainer."

"Who_ asked_ you anyway?!" Ash yelled.

Brock sighed. One argument he could handle, two in a row was just a headache waiting to happen and he didn't have anymore aspirin on-hand. "We better get going if we actually want to _get_ to Viridian. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll come across some other travelers who can help get us back on the right path."

The two teens turned to Brock and said, "Okay."

The group started off again. Brock looked over at the pair, who had been glancing at one another, blushing slightly, but stopped when they realized Brock was watching them. He shook his head in disbelief. 'Those two are impossible and it's been getting worse over the years. First they argue and then they look like they want to hug each other or something. At this point, it's beyond obvious that they like each other. I just wish they would shut up and get together and save me a headache with their stupid bickering! Most of their arguments are so pointless it's ridiculous. It's like they're _trying_ to find an excuse to fight.'

They continued their walk, but unfortunately, they didn't run into anyone. The late afternoon was now starting to enter the early evening, the temperature also lowering and the winds growing a bit stronger. Brock stopped walking as he stared up at the sky with the now serene peach overtones.

"It's getting late guys. We should probably set up camp. How about we do that here? This spot seems okay and it sounds like there's a stream nearby."

Misty shook her head in frustration and frowned. "Aww, I was hoping to be in Viridian in a nice warm bed after taking a nice hot bath," she whined, "but no thanks to 'Mr. Pokemon Master' here, we ended up lost!" she finished up sarcastically and half-heartedly. In reality, she felt uneasy about actually going to Viridian, but had no idea why the feeling had started growing stronger over time, especially recently.

"Hey, I didn't _ask_ you to come along with me on my journey!" Ash countered. "Why _did_ you start following me around anyway?!"

Misty started to blush slightly, as she'd actually forgotten the initial reason. She then recalled their first meeting and spluttered out, "B-because, Ash Ketchum, you owe me a bike!"

Brock smacked his head. "Oh no, not again!"

"Well, I could've sent you the money!"

"How would I have known if you were actually good on your word! How would I have known that you would've actually promised to pay me back? I didn't even _know_ you! You just grabbed my bike and took off!"

"You know, Ash, she's got you there. You probably could've paid her back a long time ago."

Ash glared angrily at Brock, which caused the breeder to feel a bit uneasy. He usually didn't get involved in their spats and would remain neutral or keep his thoughts to himself. He decided to back off and just let the two work it out amongst themselves, which they always did.

"I think I'll go gather some firewood so I can start dinner." With that, the boy walked off, wondering if they even heard him. 'Won't those two ever learn?'

"I always keep my promises!" Ash continued to argue, his face starting to turn red. "What _normal_ person would just follow someone around for a cruddy old bike! All you ever do is complain or get on my case about everything I do! You always criticize me! It's like no matter what I do, nothing is good enough for you, no matter how hard I try!

"You always think that the worst is going to happen and that I'll never succeed! I sometimes wish I'd never_ met_ you!" he finished up, his voice slightly shaky and his expression pitiful.

Misty stood there in complete and utter shock, unable to respond. It felt as if the entire world had collapsed down on her. She'd never heard the young trainer speak so harshly to her as he actually sounded like he meant it.

Pikachu too stood there, dumbfounded over his trainer's words. He looked over at Misty who still had a mortified look on her face. Pikachu didn't think that the boy would ever say anything to purposely hurt the water trainer's feelings, especially since, like Brock, he knew that Ash liked Misty a lot more than he truly let on. He'd sometimes hear the boy mumbling in his sleep over his liking of Misty, maybe saying she's "pretty" and "wonderful". Ash had also been forgetting to hide it lately which would resort in his acting foolish to go back to hiding his true feelings whenever realizing it. At that moment, Pikachu noticed Misty's eyes, as they were starting to glisten.

"Maybe you're right," she managed to get out in a quiet voice with as little emotion as possible, while also trying her best not to cry. "Maybe we shouldn't have ever met. Things would've been better off that way. I'm going for a walk."

She didn't wait for a response, and just rushed off, holding Togepi tightly. Ash looked after Misty, frowning. He felt awful.

Pikachu turned to Ash, angrily shouting at him, "Pika pi chu pikachu! (Why did you upset her!)"

Unable to answer, his head hanging, he managed to say, "I-I don't know. I didn't mean what I said…"

At that moment, Brock had made it back, his arms filled with nice dry wood perfect for kindling. He knelt and set the wood down to prepare the fire while setting rocks around in order to keep the fire from spreading. He was planning on preparing stew. He noticed they were one person and Pokemon short.

"Ash, where's Misty?"

The boy remained in his spot, still looking in the direction Misty had rushed off in. Curious, Brock stood after setting up the rocks. He studied his younger friend, realizing that the argument between the two had to have been really serious this time, meaning feelings were more than likely hurt and offenses made.

"What happened, Ash?" Brock asked again in grave concern.

He stared up at Brock, Ash's face sullen. He then glanced back out towards the woods, hoping that his redheaded friend would soon return…  
>x x x x<p>

After wandering for a short while, Misty found a tree stump and sat. She rocked Togepi in her arms and kept muttering about how Togepi was the "only one" who actually liked her company. Despite trying to hold back, she couldn't any longer and burst into tears.

Togepi, at this point, was beyond confused over what had recently transpired, and seeing Misty crying was worrying to the small egg. "Priiiiiiiiii, toge? (What's wrong, mommy?)"

"N-n-nothing Togepi," she said between sobs, trying to sound reassuring. "Ash was just being mean again. Don't worry about it. Ash said that he wished we'd never met, so maybe we _should_ leave, if it'll make him happy and his journey easier…" Saying those last words caused her heart to ache.

"Toge priii priii! (No, I don't want to go!)" Togepi cried out while vigorously shaking his head.

"Togepi," the girl began gently, trying to convince herself that it was a good idea, "it's obvious that Ash _hates_ me," she shuddered and sniffled. "I really wish that things could be different between us. I never realized just how much of a burden I've been to him…" She sighed as some more tears fell. "It's for the best, Togepi. You'll understand when you're older."

"Priii priii toge toge priii. (It'll be okay mommy, but I'm hungry.)"

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry too. Let's go help Brock and have our last meal together with them."

Togepi looked up at his mother sadly, especially given the forced nature of her voice. He could definitely tell that she didn't truly want to leave Ash and Brock. They were here best friends, after all. Togepi also didn't want to leave "daddy". He viewed Ash as his father, but never fully understood why. He was the second person he saw after first hatching. In his mind, Misty and Ash belonged together as his mother and father.

Misty finally stood as she dried some more of her tears. She had to compose herself if she wanted to face Brock and Ash again.  
>x x x x<br>"It's been too long. I'm going to look for her!"

Brock had gathered some water for his stew and was adding in spices and some veggies, while stirring. "What did you two argue about anyway?"

Ash just paced around, the look on his face filled with guilt, ignoring his older friend's query. Brock decided to just let Ash brood while he fanned the fire to get it stronger.

Brock heard something and looked up from his task. "Hey, there she is."

Ash stopped pacing as he took notice of Misty and Togepi making their way back to them. He noticed her face and could tell that she'd been crying, just as Brock had at that moment. He was about to apologize to her, but she acted as if the boy didn't exist and paraded right past him, a forced, cold expression etched on her tear-stained face.

"Hey Brock," she responded to him cheerfully with a forced smile. "We were on our way back to see if we could help with anything, but the scent in the air tipped us off that you'd already started. Togepi is a little hungry too."

Brock eyed her suspiciously, given how forced her cheeriness seemed. "Y-yeah, I made stew. It should be done soon along with the rice. You two were gone for a good while."

"Sorry if we worried you."

"No, no, it's okay. You're just in time."

"Pika pi chu pika pika cha!" Don't you forget my ketchup!)" Pikachu threatened.

Ash tossed the electric rodent a bottle of ketchup, which caused the Pokemon to smile. He then walked over to Misty, trying his best to make casual, civil conversation with her. He nudged her playfully in her side; something he had done various times. "Sounds tasty, huh Misty?" he asked with a chuckle, hoping she'd join in.

The girl ignored the remark. She grabbed some of the food and sat down, while feeding Togepi some of Brock's Pokemon treats. Ash sat down next to her, gazing without even realizing it. He couldn't bring himself to eat, as his thoughts wandered too much for that.

'Why do I always say stupid things to her? Why do I argue with her? It's like I can't control it sometimes. Most of the time she and Brock are right. She was just tired, probably, especially since she's been having those bad dreams lately. She's a really good friend. I l-like having her around. I l-l-love having her around. I've felt like this for a long time…but I've gone and blown it…again…'

Due to his being so lost in thought, he hadn't noticed that Misty had moved to another spot to sit and also had all of her Pokemon out, just as Brock had, feeding them. Ash's Pokemon had come out as well, also eating the specially blended food prepared by Brock. Misty really didn't want to be near Ash at the moment and had lost her appetite. Her stomach was much too nervous to eat.

Brock, still at a loss over what to do, noticed that both trainers were acting oddly and Misty always enjoyed his cooking. It's strange not seeing her eat.

"Are you okay, Misty? You haven't eaten anything."

"Yeah, are you okay?" Ash asked in concern, finally breaking from his trance.

"Is the food okay?"

Misty nodded her head to Brock and looked over at her Pokemon, and then at Togepi who gave her a sad look. Togepi looked up at her with pleading eyes and started to cry. All of the other Pokemon stopped eating, staring over at Togepi in curiosity, wondering why he was continuously saying, "No, no no!"

"What's wrong with Togepi?" Ash and Brock asked in unison.

"Well, I have something to say and Togepi doesn't want me to say it," she answered softly.

Ash fearfully stared at the girl again, an anxious, dreadful feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He held it. This had to be serious for Togepi to react in such a way.

Misty felt her eyes stinging as she tried to hold back her tears again. "I'm going to leave. I guess I'll head back to Cerulean to help my sisters run the gym."

Ash's face went pale, the shock causing him to drop his stew to the ground. All of the Pokemon, especially Misty's, were equally as shocked. This was one of Ash's many fears, although he never fully understood why…never seeing Misty again. Pikachu stopped eating on his ketchup and looked at Misty with a frown. Brock looked puzzled and scratched his head.

"What?!" everyone exclaimed.  
>x x x x<p>

Fic Chapter Changes

So, the main change for this chapter was the fourth wall breaking jokes with the narrator annoying the readers. I'm also planning on cutting out a lot of the bad eye jokes at Brock's expense. Looking back on the original story, which has been recently unearthed, seems the eye jokes were overboard.  
>x x x<p>

Author's Note

Note 1: Only one note for this chapter. In reference to the $20 thing. In Pokemon's games and the actual anime series, the currency used originally is yen. I was tempted to use it.


	2. Misty's Decision

Hello again everyone. Hope you liked the first chapter. I had a bit of fun rewriting it, as it's bringing up a lot of nostalgia, but I still feel it's not very well-written. That aside, for this chapter, it just continues where the last one left off, so it's pretty obvious what this one will be about. This chapter is also relatively short.

Anywho, please leave a review or comment, and share your thoughts on how you feel on this story so far so that I can try my best with the later chapters. Something else I didn't mention earlier, given how old this fic is, was that it was originally written in script format and was way more comical and silly. Overly comical in fact. lol Either way, hope you guys will enjoy this and let me know how I'm doing, please.

Now, as always, I do not own anything dealing with the Pokemon franchise. Nintendo, 4Kids, Gamefreak, etc., have those rights, and here are the age reminders once again...

Ash: 13  
>Misty: 14<br>Brock: 19

Part 02: "Are you _ser_ious?!" Misty's Leaving!

Last time, Misty finally told her friends that she was leaving and returning to Cerulean, everyone flabbergasted and shocked over the sudden revelation.

Ash Title: Misty's Leaving?!

"Whoa whoa whoa," Brock started, wondering if he'd heard her right, "why are you leaving?"

The slim teen thought for a moment, realizing that she hadn't thought that far ahead. She had nothing. "Well…um…er…ah… Togepi is just a baby and needs to be settled down in one place. You know, a real home."

"Pika cha pi! (Please don't go!)" the rodent begged, as well as the other Pokemon around them.

Brock wasn't convinced and shook his head. "I'm sure that that the fresh air is good for Togepi, Misty."

'Don't make this any harder, Brock,' the girl painfully pleaded in thought while forcing on an annoyed expression. "As a mother I feel that I should!" she snapped.

"Toge toge prii toge to ge! (I don't want to leave daddy and Uncle Pikachu and Uncle Brock and the others!)"

Misty sighed. "I don't know _why_ you call Ash 'daddy'."

"Wait, what did Togepi say?"

"Togepi said that he doesn't want to leave you, Uncle Pikachu, the other Pokemon, and daddy."

"I supposed that's understandable. Togepi _has_ been with us for a long time, but that is a good question about why Togepi refers to Ash as 'daddy'." He waved a hand in front of Ash's face, who had been quiet the entire time, still processing Misty's words. "Hey, Ash, you dropped your bowl."

"Huh…wha…" he jumped, startled.

"Misty just said that she's leaving."

"Yeah, I heard her," he murmured.

"And since she mentioned it, we were wondering why Togepi calls you 'daddy'. Do you have any idea why?"

Ash shook his head and absent-mindedly pulled out his Pokedex, which pinged…  
>x x x x<br>Dexter: Togepi, when first hatched, refers to the first thing it sees as its mother, however, the second thing it sees, refers to it as its father.  
>x x x x<br>"So, that's why you call Ash that," Misty declared. A part of her actually found that cute, but then her mood dropped again, realizing that she was going to leave Ash's side…that she'll never get to see him become a Pokemon Master, but a part of her was feeling a bit conflicted. Yes, she did want to see Ash receive such a prestigious honor….but Viridian. Why was she fearing it? 'Maybe going home _would_ be best, if it meane not having to go there,' she kept telling herself, in hopes of eventually believing it.

"We should clean up and get some rest now," Brock suggested. "We have to get back on our path in the morning, first thing." He gave Ash a look. "_Hope_fully, we'll find the correct route this time." The boy bashfully laughed in embarrassment over the Breeder's words. "I'm really sad to see you go, Misty, but it was bound for us all to part ways at some point." He studied the girl again. 'That argument had to have been really bad for her to suddenly want to leave.'

Misty smiled at Brock, but then looked over at Ash as a small, painful lump began forming in her throat. She swallowed hard and recalled her Pokemon. She then rose from her seat, her backpack strapped to her back. "Well, I guess this is…goodbye. Togepi, say goodbye to everyone."

"_What_?! You can't leave now!"

"And _why_ not?" Misty snapped at the slightly taller boy.

"B-because it's too dark and late to travel!" the boy said. "You might end up lost or-or something," he finished up lamely.

The girl forced out a scoff. "So?" she replied back as coldly as she could, "what else is new? I'm used of being lost all the time."

Slightly taken aback, the boy shook his head and ignored the redhead's smart-alleck remark. He was about to say something back, but Brock stepped in, fearing another argument would arise.

"Ash is right, Misty. You could get lost without a map or walking around blindly. I know it's clear out tonight, but it's better to travel during the day."

"I don't…" the boy stopped, realizing what he'd started to say, his cheeks faintly red, "…we-we don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Misty looked from Ash to Brock, the fire dancing nearby and crackling. They were making it more difficult for her, and Ash sounded legitimately concerned, but that couldn't be. She gave them a look, her face stoic. "I'm leaving…"

"Misty, no! Wait! Don't go!" the trainer pleaded, letting his guard down. "I'll-I'll buy you a new bike! I'll-I'll go with you to one of those stupid boring romantic movies! I'll-I'll-I'll…give you Pikachu!"

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned, his ears perking up.

The girl stood for a moment, looking from the two and Pikachu and Togepi. "Okay, okay. I'll leave in the morning." she sighed. 'Why is Ash making this so difficult for me? It almost sounds like he actually cares.'

Brock was a bit aghast over the way Ash pleaded. Ash smiled in relief, glad that the girl would stay.

"Since I'm staying, I'll go change my clothes. I'll be right back."

"Okay," the two boys answered.

After Misty left, Brock cleaned up the dishes, both boys then took out their sleeping bags and changed clothes. Brock noticed that Ash's spirit and mood was a bit livelier, and while waiting around for Misty, the two recalled their Pokemon and talked. Ash asked Brock about the Viridian City gymleader and what kind of Pokemon he could've had. "The Viridian leader is shrouded in mystery" was all Brock could tell him, and that the gym at times would be "mysteriously closed".

"Hey, I wonder where Misty is." Brock said while brushing Vulpix, noticing the young Water Pokemon Trainer had yet to return.

Pikachu looked out towards the woods, worried. "Chu cha pika pi. (I hope she comes back soon)."

"Yeah, me too, Pikachu. She left about 20 minutes ago."

"Uh oh," Brock muttered.

"What is it?!" Ash asked in alarm. "You don't think something's happened to Misty, do you?!"

"Calm down, Ash. Vulpix seems to have a stomachache from eating too much at dinner. I'll give her some medicine to help her."

"Brock! Misty's missing! We have to find her!"

"It may be nothing, " he stated while pulling out some round, chewy-looking pellets from his bag. "Maybe she just wanted some time alone before returning back, or maybe she decided to take a bath in the stream nearby. You know how long she takes in the bath."

Ash ignored Brock's reasonable answer, worry overcoming him. "What if she decided to leave anyway? She wouldn't leave us worrying like this."

Brock slyly smirked. "You sure do worry about her a lot."

"Of course I worry about her," the boy snapped, oblivious to the breeder's insinuation, "I like her…as our friend! She _is_ our friend! Why wouldn't I worry?"

"I get it, I get it. She _is_ our friend, but I still feel there's more to her suddenly wanting to leave than she's letting on. What she said about Togepi is obviously a lie and I doubt Togepi would cry so much over it either knowing that Misty will always be with him." Brock gave Ash a questioning look, his eyes narrower than usual. "What did you two argue about anyway?"

"Pikapi chu Cha _pi_ pika! (Ash upset Misty _really_ bad!)"

"I'm sorry Pikachu, I don't understand you as well as Ash or Misty. I only caught their names."

Pikachu thought for a moment and came up with an idea. He went over to his lightning bolt Pika-sized sleeping bag, and pulled out the $20 Brock had given him earlier. He handed it back to him.

"Wait, why are you returning my money. You won it fair in square, unless…Ash won the second fight that I missed because I was gathering firewood. Is that what happened?" Pikachu nodded. "So Ash said something so bad that Misty is willing to leave and go back to live with her three, beautiful sexy sisters." Brock went into a fantasy world as he imagined himself meeting with them. "Hello Daisy, it's me, Brock. No, no, of course I didn't forget about you Lily. You either, Violet. All three of you are lovely. How about we all go to a movie..."

"_BROCK_!"

"Oh, sorry. I was waiting for Misty to knock me out with her mallet while I was still in fantasy mode. Whenever she knocks me out while fantasizing I have wonderful dreams!"

Ash and Pikachu sweatdropped while Vulpix looked at her trainer in confusion while taking her medicine, which was in the shape of a chewable Pokemon treat.

"Sometimes I wish _I _had a mallet," Ash muttered under his breath.

"What'd you say, Ash?" he asked seriously.

"Nothing."

"No, I meant to Misty. What did you say to her?"

"Some things I shouldn't have, now she's missing and it's all my fault!"

"Ash, stop worrying. Misty wouldn't just take off without telling anyone."

"I don't care what you think, Brock! I'm going to go look for her with or without your help. Come on, Pikachu."

"Pika!"

Brock recalled Vulpix and rushed behind Ash, who'd stomped off.

Catching up to the young trainer, Brock pointed out how dark it was. The boy agreed and called out Charizard.

Emerging from the Pokeball was the giant, fire dragon Pokemon. "Char-char? (What do _you_ want?)"

"Charizard, we need some light so could you walk ahead of us?"

"Char ri char. (I don't feel like it.)" he yawned out of boredom.

Charizard lied down on the ground, looking as if he were about to nap, ignoring Ash's pleas. He then blew a small flame at the trainer, singing him in the process.

"Are you alright, Ash?"

Ash stood up, ignoring Brock at that moment and gave Charizard an angered, dangerous look, which was very uncharacteristic of him. "Charizard, I need your help and I don't care what you think right now!" he yelled loudly in an authoritative voice. "You are going to help me whether you want to or not! I am your trainer and you're supposed to obey, unless I'm putting your life in danger then you have all the right in the world to ignore me, but otherwise you_ will_ do as I tell you! If you don't listen to me," he fumed, "I might do something so bad that Officer Jenny will have to lock me away for it! Misty is missing and you_ will_ help me find her!"

Brock, Pikachu, and Charizard stared at Ash who was breathing unsteadily, in pure amazement, shock, and slight fear as Ash sounded very serious with the threat he'd made. He really sounded as if he wanted to harm Charizard.

"Ash, please calm down."

"I'm tired of you telling me to calm down," the guilty Ash angrily shouted at him, "Misty is _missing_!"

Charizard rose from his spot, agreeing to help Ash, but wasn't going to let on that his assertiveness had frightened him. He'd never seen Ash get angry with any of his Pokemon or even raise his voice to them. He would always give them encouragement whenever in battle and use his voice of determination, but never anger.

He led the way for them, while Pikachu sniffed the air hoping to pick up Misty's scent. After a short while, they came upon Misty and Togepi by the stream. She was definitely okay, despite still wearing her regular clothes, but noticed that someone taller than she was with her. The stranger wearing the red headband looked to be about Brock's age or maybe slightly younger.

Ash recalled Charizard, back to his cheery self gratefully thanking him. "Charrr. (Whatever)."

"Misty!" Ash called while running towards her.

Misty turned her head to see the young energetic trainer heading her way. He raced up to her and hugged her. This caught Misty by surprise, but she accepted the hug unsure of how to feel fully. She had always wondered what it would be like to hug him and now that it was happening…she couldn't help but blush.

They broke their embrace, Ash talking 1000 miles a minute. "I was so worried that something had happened to you!" The boy then realized what he'd just said _and_ what he'd just done, feeling his face growing a little warm. "A-And Pikachu and-and Brock were worried too."

Pikachu jumped onto Misty's shoulder and nodded with a smile.

"I'm sorry guys; I didn't realize I was gone so long. I bumped into an old friend."

Brock looked over at the stranger. "Who's that?"


	3. Identity Revealed

Hello again everyone. Hope you enjoyed the previous chapter, and please remember to leave a comment or a review. This chapter reveals the identity of the person Misty met with, but I'm pretty sure it's obvious who it is, though. This chapter also has an alternate set up as to the events after Ash received his Volcano Badge in Cinnibar. I hope you guys don't mind this change.

Oh yeah, this chapter will also have another Ash and Misty spat, but I hope you all are noticing how forced it is, as they're trying to come up with insults towards one another since they're too stubborn to admit how they truly feel.

That aside, I know you're all probably wondering when they will eventually get to Viridian, but please bare with me. We will eventually get to that as well as to why Misty's so uneasy about it.

Now, as always, I do not own anything dealing with the Pokemon franchise. Nintendo, 4Kids, Gamefreak, etc., have those rights, and here are the age reminders once again...

Ash: 13  
>Misty: 14<br>Brock: 19

Part 03: "Long time no see, Ash, Pikachu." The Stranger's Identity!

Last time, Ash and Brock, along with a reluctant Charizard, went in search of Misty after she didn't return from changing. After the short trek, they found her talking with someone. Who is this person?

Misty Title: The Stranger's Identity!

Brock looked over at the stranger. "Who's that?"

"Hey Ash, Pikachu," the boy greeted. "I haven't seen you guys in a while, but who's your friend?"

Pikachu jumped from Misty to the boy giving him a hug. Surprised to see the boy, Ash greeted him with a simple, "Hello."

"This is Brock," Misty explained. "He just joined back up with Ash and me recently."

The boy put his hand out and smiled. "It's great to meet you! Ash and Misty have told me a lot about you. They told me that you're the former Pewter city gymleader and you're working towards being the world's best Pokemon Breeder."

Brock accepted his hand and shook it. "Nice meeting you too, um…"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Kenji."

"Where are you headed?" Ash asked.

"I'm on my way to Viridian. I heard that the gymleader there battles with some really rare Pokemon, and I was hoping to sketch and paint them…if he lets me. I'm also looking for some new Pokemon to observe."

"Wow, that's really cool! So you're an artist that observes Pokemon?"

"Well, the art thing started off as a hobby, but I became really interested in Pokemon and how they develop, so I would sketch them. That's how I got into Pokemon Watching and researching them."

"This is my first time meeting an actual Pokemon Watcher. You must know a lot about Pokemon."

"Yeah a bit, but you're a breeder."

"I'm still learning a lot, though from my travels. I like caring for Pokemon more than battling them."

Ash turned to the temperamental girl. "Why didn't you just bring Kenji back to camp with us?"

"Maybe I didn't want to. Maybe I wanted someone _de_cent to talk to," she shot at him, "unlike you."

Overhearing the retort, Kenji pointed at the pair. "So, I'm guessing you two aren't a couple yet…"

"Him?!"

"Her?!"

"Not on your life!" both shouted in unison.

The two then crossed their arms in disgust, and gave off a disgruntled, "Hmmph."

"Sorry, sorry," he hastily apologized, while scratching his head with a sweatdrop. "It's just when I first met you two, I thought you were a couple and just figured you'd gotten together since we split," he finished up meekly, due to the death glares both teens were giving him.

"Me and _her_?! She's nothing but a- a-a redheaded brat!"

"Well, um, at least my face doesn't look like-like-like a mound of dirt!"

Ash got into Misty's face and shouted, "At least I'm not uh-uh….a scrawny little squawking rooster who needs to get a life for following me around for a stupid bike!"

"Don't you start that again Ash!" the girl warned direly, a nerve forming on her head.

"I can start whatever I _want_ to start!"

"If you hadn't have destroyed my 'stupid bike' I would've never started following around a hopeless creep who'll probably never become a Pokemon master because he's too dense and dumb!" Misty set Togepi down and took out her mallet and slammed the boy with it. "AND DON'T CALL ME SCRAWNY!"

Brock held his head in frustration. It was too late to put up with this nonsense. "Come on guys, _please_ stop fighting. It's getting annoying! You two sound like my siblings; the really _young_ ones! You two give me worse headaches than they ever did!"

"I'm sorry I caused this…"

"No, it's not your fault. They always get that way. It's getting to the point where they argue for the sake of arguing," Brock whispered to the artist.

"Pikachu…" the electric mouse groaned, as he hopped down from Kenji's shoulder. He took notice of Togepi who had been looking from Misty to Ash during their heated exchange.

"I see nothing's really changed then," he whispered back. "Their arguments have always felt forced to me."

Since Brock had spoken up in such a way, the two stopped arguing and looked down at the ground in embarrassment, realizing that he was right. Both murmured out "Sorry" to the older boys, while Togepi chirped happily.

"Kenji, when and where did you meet them, anyway?"

The boy rubbed his chin as he thought back. "I met them a few weeks ago in Cinnibar. Ash had just received the Volcano Badge from Blaine, who's definitely one of _the_ best fire Pokemon trainers around! I've always heard that there's no fire Pokemon he can't tame or train."

"I was around for that battle, and boy was it intense!" Brock recalled. "Seeing Blaine in action was great! After the battle, I headed back to Pewter by plane. I had to go home to help my father with the gym, so we promised to meet up again in Pewter when passing through on their way to Viridian."

"No wonder I didn't meet you. Sounds like you had to rush off."

Brock nodded. "My father was sick, so he couldn't run it and my siblings are still pretty young."

"So, in the shopping district, I had a booth set up with my Pokemon paintings and drawings for sale. Ash and Misty were looking around, and Misty came over to my booth. She really liked my pictures, especially the Magmar. We started talking for a while and they mentioned that they were going to hang around Cinnibar for about another day or two and that afterwards, they'd head back to the mainland for Viridian.

"I had been in Cinnibar for a few days anyway to meet with the gymleader and study some of the fire Pokemon Blaine had and to sell my paintings of them of course. The night I met Misty and Ash, was my last night there, but I decided to hang back with these two. After Cinnibar, I was planning on going to Cerulean to meet up with the gymleaders there.

"I was honored that I was requested by them personally. They wanted me to paint a portrait of them with all of their Water Pokemon for the gym."

"Ce-ru-le-an. The Sensational Sisters. They're really pretty."

"Yeah, they are," Kenji nodded in agreement. "Speaking of pretty, I see that Misty is just as pretty as her sisters," he complimented with a warm smile.

Brock came out of his trance. He just couldn't view Misty in such a way, especially since he'd always viewed her as a younger sister.

"Th-thanks, Kenji," the girl lightly blushed.

Annoyed, Ash abruptly asked, "So, Misty, when _are_ you leaving?"

"Leaving? What? Oh, um, I'm not leaving. Kenji's joining our group."

"Great!" the young trainer cheered with a clap, glad that Misty definitely wasn't leaving. "We have to get up early so we might as well head back to camp and rest up. I see Pikachu and Togepi are already asleep."

Misty looked down to see that both Pokemon were snoozing soundly, Togepi resting in Pikachu's arms.

"That's a great pose of them! Don't move or wake them yet. I have to capture this…"

Kenji, grateful that the moon was full and high, went through his bag and pulled out a sketch book and a pencil. He started to sketch the two as fast as possible. Brock and the others looked on in amazement over how diligent and precise the boy drew, despite the limited lighting. Before long, he'd finished, although he frowned some, as it wasn't his best work.

"Wow, you're fast," Ash blinked.

"This one isn't too good, but when observing Pokemon in the wild, you have to be able to sketch them fast. Unfortunately, due to the lighting, it isn't very detailed or good."

Ash looked the sketch over, still finding it impressive. "What are you talking about? This looks great, but you know, wouldn't it be easier to just use a camera?"

Misty smacked Ash in the back of the head. "He's an artist, _not_ a photographer!"

"I _know_ that!"

"Don't worry about it, Ash. Yeah, using a camera would be easier, but I like to draw Pokemon right in the moment, as opposed to getting a photo and making a sketch from that. That's my way of catching Pokemon…on canvas."

"Very impressive either way," Brock told him in awe. "Okay guys, let's head back to the campsite."

"I was planning on setting up here. While walking, I stopped at this stream to rest a bit and nodded off. Misty startled me awake." The watcher turned towards the stream and called out, "Growlithe we're going to rest up, but we have to leave."

A small, puppy-like Pokemon wearing bandages in his middle and his right front leg, limped towards the group. The small dog-like Pokemon had been resting by the other end of the stream and also drinking. Growlithe barked out a "Hello" to the group.

"Wow, a Growlithe!" Ash exclaimed. "When did you catch one?"

"It's an interesting, yet sad, story, but do you think we could head back to camp first?"

"Sure," Misty answered while gently shaking Pikachu and Togepi awake. She picked up Togepi while Ash gathered up a groggy Pikachu.

After the short walk, Kenji using his flashlight, Brock restarted the fire and Misty and Kenji set out their sleeping bags. While getting situated, Kenji started to weave his tale, Growlithe slumping down next to him.

"So how did you get the Growlithe?!" Ash asked anxiously.

"What happened to him?" asked Brock curiously.

"Well, like I started saying earlier, it's kind of sad. I found Growlithe a few days ago. He was bruised pretty badly," he told them disheartened. "He was also a bit sick. He couldn't eat very well, but with my limited knowledge and not being anywhere near a Pokemon Center, I've been trying my best to take care of him.

"I had some medicines on me for different Pokemon ailments, like some Full Heal meds, but he's still a bit weak. This journey we've been on has been pretty slow, but I didn't mind resting longer than I would usually." He pet the dog, who looked up at him and smiled.

"Why don't you just put him in a Pokeball? It'll be faster to carry him around that way."

"That was the first thing I tried, Ash, but it seems he belongs to someone." Kenji expression hardened, looking completely disgusted. "His old trainer abandoned him and left him in the forest to suffer. I asked if that's what happened and he nodded to me."

"That's what happened to Charmander. A trainer left him out in the rain just because he thought he was weak! That jerk Damien would probably wet himself if he saw how strong Charizard is now."

"Hm, mind if I check Growlithe out? I may have something that could help him."

"Yeah, please. You're the breeder and would know more about nursing Pokemon than I would. According to Ash and Misty, you're definitely one of the best!"

"Th-thanks." Brock looked over Growlithe, noticing that Kenji had definitely dressed the fire-dog's wounds perfectly. "Has he eaten much today?"

"No, not so much, but he has been drinking a lot of water. That's why we were by the stream."

"His stomach may be a bit sensitive right now. I have the perfect thing for him." He took out the same chewable Pokemon treats he'd given to Vulpix earlier and then a small, healthy specially blended bowl of Pokemon food. "This medicine should help a little. It's supposed to be good for all stomach problems that Pokemon face, and the food here is very light, but has a lot of nutrients and vitamins good for fire types."

Growlithe looked up at the squinty-eyed, brown-haired boy. He accepted the food, which was surprisingly tasty, as well as the medicine. He definitely trusted this group and felt safe with them, although there was something about Misty that felt a bit unsettling. No, he didn't fear her, far from it…but there was just something about her that felt familiar… It made him curious, but he soon felt sleep overtake him and started snoring soundly, Kenji still petting his head gently.

"He looks so peaceful, thanks a lot Brock."

"No problem."

"I'm really glad I ran into you guys, especially you Misty."

"Why?" Ash asked while giving him a suspicious look.

"I mentioned that I went to Cerulean to do a portrait of Misty's sisters and their Pokemon. They were actually going on about wishing that Misty was there too. They wanted you in the portrait and they also wanted to return some of your Pokemon to you.

"When I told them that I knew you and Ash and that I was going to Viridian, they asked if I could deliver them to you. They only gave me two, though. I was actually going to leave it at the Viridian City Pokemon Center with a message. I left Cinnibar before you two did, so I figured I'd get to Viridian before you."

"Wow, but don't they need the Pokemon for their water shows?"

"They have a lot more Pokemon now according to them." He went through his backpack and handed Misty two Pokeballs.

She tossed the first one. Her eyes lit up as she hugged it. "Starmie! It's been so long! It's great seeing you again! Did my sisters take good care of you?"

"Hya! (They sure did!)"

"So this other one is probably Horsea."

"Nah, I have no idea what that one is. They mentioned that the Horsea there was yours, but felt that it was best if he remained there around the pool."

"Yeah…that's why I left him there, so that he'll always have a place to swim…but I sure do miss him…"

"It was Brock's idea. Horsea seemed to be down a lot, so he figured that that was probably the problem," Ash explained.

Misty examined the Pokeball in her hand. "If it isn't Horsea, I wonder what this one could be..." She tossed the ball up and down, thinking of different Pokemon that her sisters had. "Well, I can't think of one my sisters would part with. Guess there's only one way for me to find out. Pokeball go!"

All of a sudden, a popping sound was heard from Misty's backpack, and a chubby ducklike creature holding his head now stood.

"Psyduck, I didn't call you!"

"Psy?"

"I hope it's not another Psyduck," she muttered under her breath. She then held her head in frustration. "Those three probably _would_ play a mean trick on me like that. One dumb duck is enough. I hope when you evolve, that your brain does too!"

"Psy?"

Misty pulled out Psyduck's Pokeball. "Psyduck return!" The red beam sucked the psychic duck back in. She tossed the new one, "Pokeball, go!"

Out of the red and white spear sat a Pokemon that was a majestic icy, yet aqua blue. Its smooth skin seemed to glisten in the moonlight. It stood on all fours and swung its fish-like tail. Misty stared on, her eyes shining.

"A Vaporeon! Wow! When we get to Viridian, I'll call and thank them."

"There was something else they said…oh, they said that thisi s their way of thanking you for saving the gym."

"Wow Misty, you have a Vaporeon! We should battle to help train it!"

"Yeah Ash, that would be nice." The girl turned to the Pokemon who was now lying on the ground. "Hi there Vaporeon. Welcome to our team."

The Pokemon nodded to her and rubbed its head against Misty's leg affectionately. This made the redhead smile.

After recalling Starmie and Vaporeon, she sighed. "I still miss Horsea though. I really do hope my sisters are taking good care of him…"

"They can take care of me _any_time," Brock said in a dreamy voice with a spaced out look on his face.

Everyone ignored Brock and got settled into their sleeping bags.

"Goodnight everyone," Ash told his friends as he fell into a deep slumber...


	4. The Trouble with Growlithe

Welcome back everyone and as it was revealed, the stranger was indeed Kenji (Tracey) who was traveling with a weakened, badly injured Growlithe. Why does this Growlithe feel strange around Misty, though?

Now, here's another chapter for you readers willing to even get through this badly written story. lol Anyway, for this chapter, the group runs into Team Rocket, causing one of the group to become injured.

As for the "Twerps" they will be joined by one more character a couple of chapters from now. So, Ash's group will consist of five (Ash, Misty, Kenji, Brock, and a certain side character). I hope you'll enjoy the addition, but it's going to be a while before those chapters get written, as that character's introduction chapter will have to be rewritten from scratch and memory...and I have a bad one.

Now, as always, I do not own anything dealing with the Pokemon franchise. Nintendo, 4Kids, Gamefreak, etc., have those rights, and here are the age reminders once again...

Ash: 13  
>Misty: 14<br>Kenji: 17 going on 18  
>Brock: 19<p>

Oh yeah, about Kenji's age, I have it that way because in the sequel to this fic, he celebrates his birthday.

Part 04: "Oh no, are you okay?!" The Trouble with Growlithe!

Everyone slept peacefully, although Misty was a bit restless during hers, and started to awaken, the light from the beautiful sunrise starting to illuminate the sky and the birds singing happily from the tress around them. Unfortunately, a certain Pokemon trainer remained asleep, snoring loudly, ignoring all of the nature around him.

"I can't believe he's still asleep!" Misty complained as she rolled up her sleeping bag.

"Wasn't he the first one to fall asleep?" asked Kenji.

Brock nodded as he started to gather ingredients to prepare something quick for breakfast, allowing Geodude to help him by building another fire.

Kenji and Misty, along with Togepi and Pikachu, went over to the snoozing trainer and kept calling to him gently to wake up, but to no avail, the trainer remained motionless and started muttering about "beating Gary" in his sleep.

"Oh this is ridiculous!" All of a sudden, Misty pulled out a gong and shouted while hitting it, "TIME TO WAKE UP!"

This startled him, and he woke with a scream while jumping nearly 10 feet into the air. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Misty put the gong away while grinning triumphantly.

"What'd you do that for?!"

"It's time to get up. Hurry up and get changed," the girl told him.

Ash went back to sitting stubbornly, while Togepi and Pikachu were laughing. Growlithe looked up from his spot and yawned. "I would've gotten up…eventually," he muttered while heading away to change.

Kenji Title: The Trouble with Growlithe!

After changing, Ash returned while sniffing the air. He saw both Brock and Kenji were preparing dishes for breakfast. With the leftover rice, Kenji had prepared *onigiri while Brock had reheated their leftover stew.

Misty sat with Togepi, and began to feed him some onigiri. "Here you are, Togepi."

"Togepriiiiiiiii! (Thanks mommy!)"

"These are good; what filling did you use?"

Brock and Kenji started to talk about the dish while also exchanging other recipes.

"Hey, Pikachu, do you want any ketchup for your rice ball?"

He nodded as Ash tossed him a small bottle of ketchup.

Misty smiled at the scene. "I really hope that the price of ketchup never goes up," she said with a small laugh.

Ash looked over at Misty, their eyes locking. "Yeah…me too...I hope…it doesn't…"

They both just stared at one another, lost in their own thoughts. The breeder and artist took notice. Brock just shook his head at the display, and quietly said to his new friend, "I'm really glad you're here. You can help me deal with those two. Their arguing drives me crazy!" He motioned to Misty. "It's also nice having someone else to talk to who doesn't slam you with a mallet," he then motioned to Ash, "or who doesn't snap at you when calling you out on something that's 100% obvious to see."

"That sounds rough," Kenji whistled. "Either way, though, I just_ knew_ they were a couple when I first saw them. The way they were glancing at each other, the way Misty was pulling Ash around the bazaar, the way they seemed to be talking to each other, like they were super comfortable with each other…I just figured they were a couple on a date. When traveling with them, there were times it just looked like they wanted to just throw themselves at each other."

"Hey," Brock began with a chuckle, "how long do you think _this_ stare is going to last?"

"Hm, maybe about another minute. They'll notice us watching them sooner or later. I noticed this happened a lot while I was with them. They'd get caught in each others' gaze, they notice that either I or Pikachu were watching, then they both start to go a bit red, no matter how hard they tried to hide it, and then start bickering over the stupidest thing! One time, I think Misty started arguing with Ash about the trees in the area being too tall and that it was his fault."

Brock gave off a boisterous laugh, which broke the two out of their trance. The two slightly blushed and looked away, but didn't argue this time.

After breakfast, they packed up camp, and went back on their way to Viridian city, Growlithe walking by Kenji's side who was leading them, albeit slowly, not that anyone minded or protested given his condition. During the walk, Growlithe still couldn't help but feel a slight connection with Misty…a feeling that was still truly bothering him, while also causing him to feel remorse and guilt. He decided to try his best to ignore this feeling as he had to focus on his true task…getting back to Viridian.

"Hey, Kenji, you never_ did_ tell me why you were where you were when I bumped into you last night."

"Oh, well I was taking a shortcut to Viridian. With Growlithe's condition, I felt it would be best."

"See Misty, I told you two that we were going the right way!" Ash bragged arrogantly.

Brock and Misty sweatdropped at Ash's display, who was now dancing around as if he'd just won some grand contest.

"I have my map right here," Kenji pointed out. He pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket and stopped walking. The others followed suit and looked it over. "See, we're round about here, so I'd say we'll arrive there in about a couple of hours."

"That's not so bad," Brock concurred. "At least it'll still be daytime by the time we arrive."

"Two hours seems like a long time to me," Misty muttered under her breath. The sun had risen higher, and the heat had started growing stronger. She started to fan herself with her free hand. She was about to complain some more, but stopped after glancing over at the fatigued Growlithe.

"Wow after all this time, you think two hours is a lot?" Kenji asked in surprise. "I guess I'm just used to it. I like traveling this way. It beats traveling around the Orange Islands where I grew up." He looked to his side, noticing Growlithe's state and that his breathing was a bit unsteady. "Are you alright, Growlithe? You sound tired."

Growlithe nodded weakly while still panting, but then slumped down to the ground.

"Guys, I think we should stop for a while. We've been traveling for over an hour now," the narrow-eyed boy wisely stated. "I'd like to check him over again anyway."

No one objected and felt it was definitely best.

Brock knelt down beside Growlithe, giving a caring, and gentle smile, while speaking in a soothing voice. "Do you have any pain anywhere right now?" He nodded and winced. "Where?"

Growlithe looked towards his stomach where the bandage was.

"So your stomach is still bothering you and the medicine didn't help as well as I thought it would…"

He checked him and then did something he hadn't earlier. He touched his stomach. This caused Growlithe to howl in pain, which alarmed the others.

"Growlithe!" Kenji called out, rushing to his side.

"Kenji, how was he when you came across him again?" asked Brock.

"It was a couple of days ago. I heard a yelping sound, so I followed it and came across him. He looked like he was trying to move, but was having trouble. He was bruised all over and pretty much just lying there. I tried to wrap his wounds as best as I could."

Brock's expression grew dark as an angered look made its way to his face. "We know he was abandoned, but to go to this extent…it's just horrible. My medicine can't help him. I'm worried that his stomach pain isn't from lack of eating or maybe from eating something bad. He may have internal injuries that are becoming worse because he's moving around. We really have to find a way to get him to a Pokemon Center and fast. I don't know how much longer he'll hold out, but he's obviously strong…"

Growlithe yowled louder than he'd meant to. "Growlithe, what's wrong?! Whoever did this to you needs to pay! I only wish I knew who your previous trainer was. I'd demand he tell me why he left you out in the woods like that! What if I wouldn't have found you?"

"I hate people who mistreat Pokemon!" Ash said, his fist bawled. "Growlithe, did your trainer abandon you because he thought you were weak?"

Looking away from everyone, he nodded hesitantly. Pikachu studied the dog. Something wasn't right.

"Pika chu pi. (I don't believe you.)"

"Pikachu! How could you say something like that!"

"Pikapi, Pika chu pikachu cha? (Ash, can't you tell that he's lying?)"

Ash gave his friend a disapproving look. "Come on. We have to hurry to Viridian. It's the closest."

Pikachu, at this point, was actually arguing with the fatigued, yet quiet Growlithe who wasn't defending himself at all. He truly felt that the puppy wasn't being completely truthful. Ash grabbed Pikachu and started to scold him, but Pikachu gave him a Thundershock, causing him to fall over, and broke free of his grasp.

"Pika chu cha, pikachu chu pika pi! (You didn't have a trainer, you're hiding something! There's more to this story than what you're telling them!)"

"Let's _go_!" Ash repeated, shooting the electric mouse a look.

It wasn't only Ash giving Pikachu a look, but the other humans as well. Brock had a look of perplexity, trying to figure out why Pikachu was acting in such a way. Kenji had a look of disappointment on his face. Misty just frowned at him. Togepi just looked on in confusion.

Growlithe rose from the ground and stood, telling himself that he must continue. There was way too much at stake. Once he was ready to go, they were about to start off, but they heard three familiar voices coming from the trees above.

"Prepare for trouble!" the first voice cackled.

"And make it double!" a second, male voice replied.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nations…"

"To denounce the evil of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above…"

One of the figures, wearing a white skirt and a shirt with a giant "R", revealed herself and landed in front of the group, her long pink hair soaring. "Jessie!"

A handsome, blue-haired man in a similar outfit, only with pants, holding a rose stood next to her. "James…"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

A small cat like Pokemon jumped down in front of the pair and posed, both his paws up. "Meeeeeeeeeeowth, that's right!"

"Hand them over, twerps," James ordered in a somewhat bored voice.

"Not _you_ guys again," Ash grumbled in annoyance. "Why don't you go dig a hole like you normally do! We have more important things to do than to deal with you!"

"I would have, but Jessie and Meowth wouldn't let me."

"James, shut up! Stop being a shrimpy ignoramus!"

"Ooo, shrimp! Do you have any? I'm hungry."

Jessie gave off an exasperated sigh. "Am _I _the only one around here who cares about stealing Pokemon for the boss?"

Meowth held out his paw to Ash's group. "We're takin' all of your Pokemon, so hand dhem ovaa, now!"

Misty looked over at Growlithe then back at Team Rocket. "Not without a fight!" she told them hotly.

"So, you guys want to do this the hard way, eh?" Jessie pulled out a Pokeball and tossed it. "Arbok, go!"

A giant, purple snake, which resembled a cobra emerged.

"Wheezing, go, smoke screen!"

James tossed his sphere, and a floating, gray round two-headed Pokemon came out and started to breathe out a thick, hazy black smoke, which caused everyone to cough and the inability to see clearly.

Ash instinctively reached for his belt, about to call out his Pidgeotto, but surprisingly, Arbok and Wheezing showed to be too fast for him. Jessie had ordered Arbok to use "Wrap Attack", and now had its coils wrapped around him, Misty, who was holding Togepi still, Brock, Kenji, and Pikachu.

"We're actually winning this time," Jessie victoriously laughed.

"Yeah, you're right. We _are_ winning," James laughed along hysterically.

"It's about time," replied Meowth coolly.

"You better...let us go...you…hag," Ash grunted as he, and the others, tried to free themselves from Arbok's grasp.

"Wh-what did you say?" a nerve forming on her forehead.

"I said you're an old hag!"

Jessie's face started to turn red, and her incisors seemed to turn to that of fangs that could rival her Arbok's. Flames also surrounded her, her fists bawled.

"Oh no!" James shook.

"She's gonna blow! She's evolvin' into a Flareon!"

"Maybe she'll evolve to something even worse this time," James input.

"You _could_ be right," Meowth agreed. "Hmm, maybe she'll evolve to a Magmar."

"Most definitely," James nodded, like a professor, "or maybe that of the rage of a Charizard."

"Or betta yet-"

Before anyone could blink, Jessie attacked James and Meowth. It was so fast, the others had no idea what she'd done to them or even what she'd hit them with. James and Meowth were now knocked out, their eyes swirling. Once done with them, she went back to taking her rage out on Ash.

"Call _me_ an old hag, I'll show you! Arbok! Squeeze them tighter!"

Arbok reluctantly obeyed, as he didn't want to literally harm them, knowing that he could possibly end up killing one of them. Growlithe looked on helplessly as the group screamed in pain. He was so weak from his journey, he could barely muster up the strength to use something as weak as "Ember".

"Arbok, that's enough. Loosen your coils just a bit. I don't want any guts on my nice boots. Only wrap them enough so that they can't escape. I think the finally realize that we mean business!"

Everyone breathed out in relief, the crushing feeling lessening and glad that they could breathe steadily again.

"Enough of dis. Let's grab dheir Pokemon, especially dat Growlithe! Da boss really wants him."

"How do you know it's the right Growlithe?" asked James who'd just regained consciousness.

"It doesn't matter; I just know, okay?"

"Wait, didn't the boss also say something about that bratty girl?" asked Jessie.

"Hey yeah, you're right. I think he did say something about her...I think he said something about keeping her out of Viridian..."

"Yeah, but I don't know why," Meowth told them halfheartedly.

James made his way over to the injured Growlithe. He looked at the Pokemon, a bit pained over it as it reminded him of his Growlithe. He actually had a soft spot for Growlithe and Arcanine in general.

"You're not going to get away with this," argued Misty, who was still trying to free herself for Togepi's sake.

The others also took suit and yelled at the three criminals.

The pink-haired woman could only laugh. "We already have, brats. Let's finish this battle now. Lickitung, go!"

A fat, strange pink Pokemon materialized in front of them. Its long tongue flailing, but it seemed different, Ash noticed. He'd seen Jessie's Lickitung plenty of times, but its tongue seemed longer than usual.

"Lickitung, use your Lick Attack on all of them, but only enough to stun them, not kill them. Just knock them out so we can nab their Pokemon and that Growlithe, and don't forget, we have to keep that bratty girl away from Viridian. The boss says that she's trouble to him!"

"Lickeeee!"

"Why don't you give up now! You know you're going to fail like you guys always do!"

"Ugh, I'm sick of your mouth! Lickitung, lick her first and make sure she doesn't wake up anytime soon!"

"Tung!"

Licktung attacked the group, but used "Screech" first, but it only affected Misty. How Licktung managed to do this without affecting the others was beyond the boys and Pikachu. Misty screamed slightly, her ears hurting from the high-pitched sound. Next, Licktung proceeded to lick her.

"Ewwwww," she shuddered. The redhead felt herself growing drowsy and slightly woozy. "You're…not…going…to…get…away…with…this…" the girl threatened, her voice slurring. She then slumped over, her head lolling. Togepi started to cry over the sight.

"Waah, Misty!" Ash snarled angrily at the Rocket that stood before them. "You'll pay for that, Jessie!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever," she answered, nonplussed. "Lickitung, don't forget the rest of those twerps."

Licktung licked the rest of them, ignoring Togepi, who was still being held snuggly in Misty's limp arms, but with the coils wrapped around them, he was still secure. Just like Misty, the others fell victim to the attack, but still yelled threats to the three Rocket members before falling asleep, which included Kenji threatening, "You're not getting my Growlithe!"

James laughed. "Correction, _our_ Growlithe!"

"Dat Growlithe is now da property of Team Rocket!" nodded a triumphant Meowth, but he soon frowned slightly. "Da boss wants it…only dead."

Hearing this, Jessie and James turned to their furry companion, looks of shock on their faces and their eyes wide. "'_Dead_'?!"

Jessie vigorously shook her head. "No _way_ we're killing that Growlithe, Meowth!"

"Yeah, we may be villains, but we're not insensitive."

"I don't know about yous two, but I want dat promotion to get rid of dat _stu_pid Persian da boss has!"

"But Meowth-"

Meowth interrupted James' protest by leaping up and slashing him in the face. "Who cares what you think! We're killin' dat dog!"

Jessie was about to pound Meowth for slashing James, who was holding his face in pain, until the small feline pulled out a gun and aimed it at Growlithe, causing both to gasp. Growlithe was trying to get the strength to lure them away to keep Kenji and the others safe, but he just couldn't bring himself to move.

"Da boss said dat dis mutt would be better off to him dead! He thought the grunt dat was supposed to do the job, had, but it's obvious dat he didn't. Dat grunt lied about it. Seems dat Growlithe managed to escape 'im. I'm gonna make da boss proud of me, and while we're at it, why don't we just off all of dem?"

James felt disturbed over Meowth's desperation, while Jessie looked on in disbelief. Killing just to get promoted? She just couldn't fathom that.

Everyone, at that moment, started to regain consciousness. Kenji was the first to notice what was going on, seeing Meowth in front of the weakened Growlithe, a gun pointed at him.

"No, don't," he weakly called out.

Seeing what was going on, Ash tried squirming again, but still wasn't able to accomplish anything. He then came up with another idea and bit down on Arbok hard.

"Chaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrr!" Arbok screamed in pain as he let go of them.

Hearing the scream, Jessie quickly called back both her Pokemon, in fear of them getting hurt. She also told Wheezing to return, who obeyed promptly. She was still a bit distraught over Meowth and actually wasn't paying either of the "twerps" any attention at all.

James dove for the gun. "Stop that, Meowth! You're going to hurt him, not to mention maybe us!"

"Be careful James!"

He managed to knock the gun from out of Meowth's paws, which just caused him to slash James again.

Ash finally had access to his belt, and pulled one of the red and white spheres off and tossed it. "Bulbasaur, go! Knock the gun away and attack them with Vine Whip, now!"

"Bulba!"

Quickly, Bulbasaur tossed the gun aside, and then started to whip the three Rocket members.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Piiiiiiiiiiiikaaaaaaachuuuuuuu!"

The attack connected, causing the three to fly off. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaaaiiiin!"

Kenji went to check on Brock, who still seemed a bit dazed. Ash then went over to Togepi and Misty. Togepi was crying while trying to wake her. Ash started to shake her, who was soon joined by Kenji and Brock.

"Misty?" Ash shook her a bit harder. "Wake up."

"Priiiii? (Mommy?)"

The girl didn't move.

"Brock, what's wrong with her?!"

"I don't know," the boy said, his narrow eyes slightly wide in fear.

"She's not waking up! We have to get her to a doctor or something!"

There was no argument from the two older boys, as both prepared.

"Leave it to me, Ash. Come out, Onix!" The rock snake emerged in front of them with a roar. "Onix, we have to get to Viridian as fast as we can. Misty has been knocked out, and this Growlithe is sick and too weak to move on his own."

Onix was happy to oblige.

"We need to something to lay them on," Kenji muttered while looking around.

"Right! Geodude, let's go!"

The rock Pokemon came out, awaiting his orders. Brock asked him to knock down a tree for him to build a makeshift land-raft or something along the lines of it. Pikachu consoled Togepi while Ash held the limp Misty in his arms, too out of it to even offer help to the artist and breeder.

Kenji went through his bag for rope while Geodude laid the now chopped logs in place, working diligently and efficiently.

Once done, the two older boys dragged Growlithe onto the wooden structure, while Ash, with all his strength lifted Misty and laid her out on it while sitting with her. Pikachu sat with Ash, while Ash held Togepi tightly. Since they worked fast, Brock and Kenji rode directly on Onix as it wasn't big enough for all of them to ride on the wooden sled-like structure. They tied it to Onix's tail.

"Okay, everyone hold on tight! Onix, let's go, but try to be careful!"

Onix nodded and took off…

x x x x

Meanwhile, right before the group, and while they were working on creating a more comfortable mode of transport for Growlithe and Misty, they were being watched…

"Ugh, I can't believe those idiots blew it," a green-haired male with a husky voice groaned. "All they had to do was kill a Growlithe that was already weak to begin with! They didn't manage to bump off the girl with the Togepi and they didn't grab Pikachu!"

"Yeah," the man's blonde, female friend said. "I guess it was a good thing that the boss sent us along to keep an eye on them. He probably knew that they'd fail…like always."

"What else would you expect from them? They're too soft. We would've gotten the job done _and_ we would've grabbed Pikachu."

"Meowth really doesn't belong with those two. He'd be better of with us." She looked to her associate. "Do you think he would've actually pulled the trigger?"

"I think he would've, but only if that pretty-boy freak of a boyfriend of Jessie's hadn't have interfered…"

The two saw Brock instruct Onix to take off. The two mysterious strangers hopped onto their motorbikes to follow them, but made sure to keep their distance.

"We'll keep them from Viridian," the blonde declared.

"Yeah, the boss is going to be proud of us, and then maybe he'll finally kick those two idiots out."

"I wonder why the boss keeps them around anyway. I know that they weren't always screw-ups, but their failures probably outnumbers all of that now," the woman thoughtfully pointed out.

"I wish I knew, Cassidy, but we shouldn't probably question it or worry about it. We have a mission to focus on."

"Yeah, who knows what the boss'll do or say if they manage to reach Viridian. Oh Butch, he'll be furious!" She shook her head and focused again. "Anyway, I already thought of a plan to slow them down."

"That's my girl," he complimented sweetly, "always thinking. Smart _and _beautiful, unlike Jessie."

Cassidy cheeks went slightly pink. "Not now, Butch. Anyway, here's my plan…"  
>x x x x<br>"Thank goodness you have Onix," Kenji complimented. "We would never be able to go this fast on foot. We'll get to Viridian in no time and get help for Growlithe and Misty."

"Yeah." Brock glanced back. "How's she doing, Ash?"

Ash looked devastated, not even hearing Brock. He was drowned in his thoughts. He felt like crying. 'I'm sorry for saying all those things to you over the years…please, don't leave us. We need you…_I_ need you.' If he hadn't have been holding Togepi, while also trying to keep a grip on Misty, he would've definitely hugged her. The urge was strong.

"Ash?" Kenji called this time.

"Huh? What?"

"How's Misty?"

"She's still out and breathing kind of funny," Ash answered back loudly. Togepi started to cry again, wondering if his mother was going to ever wake up. The boy leaned down slightly, and whispered to the slumbering girl, "Hang in there, Misty, we'll get to Viridian soon. I promise that I won't let you down! I don't care about battling or badges or anything, just please wake up. I should've gotten to my Pokeball faster! This would've never happened if I hadn't have been so slow!" His voice shook. "I'm sorry Misty…I'm _so_ sorry!"  
>x x x<p>

Author's Note

Note 1: Onigiri is a rice ball.  
>x x x<p>

Fic Chapter Changes

I changed quite a bit for this one. Originally, for this chapter, it started off similarly, but with the Narrator (in other words RP) poking fun and breaking the fourth wall. Ash also did the chapter originally, while yawning. As a matter of fact, Ash announced practically all of the titles, unless his name was in it.

There was also another fourth wall joke at Brock's expense regarding his narrow eyes, after awaking after Lickitung's attack. As mentioned earlier, I definitely wanted to cut those out as they weren't as necessary.

James showed to have more qualms over taking Growlithe to Giovanni.

I also had them build something for Misty and Growlithe to ride on as opposed to all of them riding directly on Onix.

Butch's James insult was originally, "cross-dressing freak" as opposed to "pretty-boy".

The part where Ash had the urge to hug Misty was changed so that it wouldn't seem sudden or as sappy. Originally, Ash was resisting the urge to kiss her. I was really into AAML back then, no matter how badly written it was. lol


End file.
